under the table

See also: under-the-table

English

Alternative forms

• under-the-table (attributive use)

Prepositional phrase

under the table

1. (adjectival) Secret; covert; undisclosed.
2. (adverbial) Secretly; covertly; undisclosedly.

   I was paid under the table, so I didn't have to pay taxes on the income but I couldn't complain when I was cheated.

   • 2015, Elizabeth Royte, Vultures Are Revolting. Here’s Why We Need to Save Them., National Geographic (December 2015)[1]

     The men tie up their dogs, retrieve what’s left of the lion’s kill, and sprinkle it with a generic form of Furadan, a cheap, fast-acting pesticide that’s readily available under the table.

3. In or into a state of stupification or boredom.
4. In or into a state of drunkenness.

   Synonym: under the mahogany

5. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see under,‎ table.

Translations

secretly

• Danish: sort (da)
• Finnish: pimeästi (fi)
• Spanish: bajo cuerda (es)

See also

• drink under the table
• talk someone under the table
• under the counter
• underhanded

References

• “under the table”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.